Graduate Degrees and Certificates

The computer engineering program offers graduate programs of study which lead to the MS degree (thesis and non-thesis options), the Ph.D. degree and the doctorate of engineering (D.Eng) degree. Masters degrees can be obtained both on-campus and through distance options. Selection of specific options and programs of study is determined by student subject to approval by advisor and department.

Catalog information

The electrical engineering program in the department of electrical and computer engineering offers graduate programs of study which lead to the M.S. degree (thesis and non-thesis options), the Ph.D. degree and the doctor of engineering degree. Both, the Rolla campus and the Engineering Education Center in St. Louis offer M.S. programs. Most graduate programs in electrical engineering normally include some specialization in one or more of the following six emphasis areas of electrical engineering.

Electrical and computer engineering graduate student handbook

The department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) developed this handbook to assist you with the electrical engineering program. We provide the names of a number of professors and administrators that you can contact. We also summarize information available in other Missouri S&T documents and provide websites where you can find more information.

Why S&T

"Looking back, I feel pursuing both M.S. Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering was worth the time invested to gain the necessary skill sets which are required in the industry today." -Shubhankar Marathe (Amazon)

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"Outstanding faculty, state-of-the-art research, well equipped laboratories, and a variety of industry-demanding course offerings are the key elements that categorize the Missouri S&T ECE Department as one of the best-in-class schools in the region." -Ashkan Hashemi (Intel, Inc.)

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Read testimonials from some of our outstanding graduate alumni and learn about how choosing S&T impacted their lives.

Graduate certificate programs

On campus

Graduate certificates give students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge in a particular discipline, learn the latest in developing fields, and stay competitive in today's marketplace. By taking a few courses, students will be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge in a field. Graduate certificate programs may also be used as a pathway to a graduate degree program and credit earned in the certificate can be counted toward the master’s degree. A student needs to earn a B or better in each certificate course to continue on for their master’s degree without needing to submit GRE/GMAT scores.

Computational intelligence

This graduate certificate program provides practicing engineers the opportunity to develop the necessary skills in the use and development of computational intelligence algorithms based on evolutionary computation, neural networks, fuzzy logic, and complex systems theory. Engineers can also learn how to integrate common sense reasoning with computational intelligence elective courses such as data mining and knowledge discovery.

Information assurance and security officer essentials

The information assurance and security officer essentials graduate certificate program satisfies the 4011 and 4014 standards. Coordination of this certificate is through the graduate coordinators for computer science and computer engineering. The certificate will be awarded in the department of the student's choice (computer science or computer engineering).

Network centric systems

This certificate is a joint effort between computer engineering and systems engineering to provide practicing engineers with the necessary skills to develop and design the operation of network centric systems. These four courses count towards a M.S. degree in computer engineering or systems engineering and they address the intersection between network engineering, systems engineering, and architecting.

Distance degrees

Research

All Ph.D. students and thesis-option M.S. students are expected to conduct significant research with their research advisors and advisory committee toward their thesis/dissertation. Whether you are interested in research scopes as large as global communications and cyber infrastructure, or as small as micro/nano-scale devices, our graduate programs in ECE will offer you a broad array of exciting areas of study. High-quality research suitable for publication is expected when pursuing the thesis option M.S. or a doctoral degree.

ECE offers a wide variety of research opportunities with faculty who are some of the world’s foremost experts in their fields. In addition to ECE departmental research groups, interdisciplinary research is an essential component of our graduate programs. Students often conduct research in association with our interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and laboratories, including the following:

Entrance Requirements

Please note: the electrical and computer engineering's minimum admission requirements often exceed general university requirements. In case of discrepancies, departmental requirements supersede all others.

Certificate minimum admissions requirements

B.S. degree in any field of engineering

GPA of 3.0 or higher (a minimum 'B' grade is required) in the CT courses

Master's degree admissions requirements

Admission to the MS program is based on a holistic evaluation of your GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, and (for international students) your TOEFL or IELTS score, as well as fit with the program.

The GRE is waived for Missouri S&T graduates who have received a GPA of 3.5 or above in at least 18 credit hours of ECE courses.

Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree from an ABET accredited university (or equivalent)

While not required, we recommend you submit three reference letters and a statement of purpose

International applicants must also submit a financial statement to demonstrate ability to meet visa requirements

Doctoral degree admissions requirements

Admission to the PhD program is based on a holistic evaluation of your GRE scores, former degrees and GPA, and (for international students) your TOEFL or IELTS score, as well as fit with the program. Most importantly, PhD candidates must secure a PhD advisor for admission. More information on securing an advisor is given below.

Applicants must have completed an MS or BS degree in an associated field, and meet all of the admission requirements of the MS degree program

While not required, we recommend you submit three reference letters and a statement of purpose

International applicants must also submit a financial statement to demonstrate ability to meet visa requirements

Securing an Advisor

Master's degree - Thesis/Non-thesis

There are two options in the Master program (thesis option and non-thesis option). The non-thesis option requires coursework only, while the thesis option requires a thesis with your research advisor with less course work.

Both options are equally considered for admission without preference or priority. For the thesis option, procedure of how to secure an advisor and seek his or her confirmation is the same as that of PhD (see PhD requirements below). Master students may change the degree option at any time during the study.

Doctoral degree

The most important thing for PhD admission is to secure your tentative advisor, even before you formally apply (individual contact as stated below). View the department's faculty directory to review each faculty member's research areas and identify your potential PhD advisor. Contact the faculty member by email with your portfolio (CV, transcript, publication, etc.). If he or she is willing to serve as your PhD advisor, seek confirmation.

Once you have a confirmation, ask for a Recommendation Letter from your potential advisor and specify your potential advisor in your Statement of Purpose to be part of your application package. Please note that the confirmation to serve as your advisor does not mean you’ll be automatically offered a financial assistantship. You need to ask the advisor about the availability of assistantship (see the link to “Graduate Degree Funding”).

You may apply formally for PhD without this procedure of securing the advisor. We will circulate your application materials to faculty members to see if someone is interested in serving as your advisor. If you are applying for the PhD program without a MS degree (directly from BS) and without securing an advisor, we may still admit you as an MS to be able to convert to PhD within 2-3 semesters (all your credits are then counted toward PhD). During this period, you interact with faculty and demonstrate your aptitude for PhD.

Graduate degree funding

At Missouri S&T we value our graduate students. In our commitment to your education, we've put together several funding opportunities to help make your degree an excellent return on investment. Take a look at what we have to offer.

Graduate Assistantship Information

There are three major mechanisms of assistantship for graduate students in ECE: Graduate Research Assistants (GRA), Graduate Teaching Assistants (GRA) and Fellowship. There are also Grader positions based on hourly rate wages. Students can be appointed as GRA or GTA by any rate up to 50% FTE (Full-Time Equivalent), which is the maximum part-time employment rate for students (100% represents the full-time job). Monthly wage for 50% FTE is approximately $2,000, which is proportional to the % FTE (e.g. $400 for 10% FTE). Student’s out-of-tuition is waived if the student is offered at least a 25% FTE or higher.

Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA)

This assistantship is to support students by contributing to faculty members’ research. If a GRA is offered, the out-of-state tuition is waived (if higher than 25% FTE) and the monthly wage is provided according to % FTE. Students may contact individual faculty members with materials (CVs, publication, etc.) preferably before application to demonstrate their qualification and competency in the interested research areas. The faculty member may offer a GRA position with admission if the student is qualified and funding is available. Or it may be offered anytime with continued interactions with faculty members during study in the ECE program.

Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA)

GTAs are normally required to teach undergraduate-level laboratory courses. If a GTA is offered, the out-of-state tuition is waived (if higher than 25% FTE) and the monthly wage is provided according to % FTE. The department appoints GTAs every semester. Students apply for the GTA positions several months earlier before the start of class to teach, pass the communication test (non-native speakers only) and are selected by the department. Therefore, new incoming students are typically not eligible for the GTA position during the first semester.

Department Fellowship

The mechanism of Department Fellowship waives the student’s out-of-state tuition only (no wages). The students is required to assist individual faculty member’s departmental work on teaching, research and service activities. Students may contact individual faculty members with materials (CV, publication, portfolio, etc.) before application to demonstrate their qualification. The faculty member may offer a Fellowship anytime similarly as the GRA position. Chancellor’s Fellowship is available only for the PhD applicants with US citizenship or permanent residency upon admission to waive the tuition and provide wages.

Grader

This mechanism provides students with biweekly wages based on hourly rates (no tuition waived). Graders are normally required to grade assignments from undergraduate-level courses. Students may contact individual faculty members who teach the course to be appointed as Grader several months earlier before the start of class. Typically new incoming international students are not eligible for the Grader position (US citizens or permanent residents are eligible) during the first semester.